Device for cleaning surface condensers and the like



Mar. 27, 1923. I,

' C. HULSMEYER DEVICE FOR CLEANING SURFACE CONDENSERS AND THE LIKE} Filed Aug. 51 1921 INVENTQ Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

U ETE 5|; STATES CHRISTIAN H'U'LSMEYER, F DUSSELDORF, GERMANY.

DEVICE non CLEANING SURFACE CONDENSEBS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed August 31, 1921 Serial No. 497,253.

I (GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN Hons- MEYER, a citizen of the German Repubhc, and resident of Dusseldorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Devices for Cleaning Surface Condensers and the like (for which I have filed applications in Germany, July 31, 1914; Belgium, January 18, 1921;

1 France, January 20, 1921; Great Britain, January 8, 1921; Italy, February 1, 1921), of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to surface condensers and has for its object to provide an improved device applicable to such condensers and whereby the condenser tubes of surface condensers and the like may be easily and readily rinsed or cleaned in operation by the temporary increase of speed of the condensing water.

I-Ieretofore condensers have been cleaned principally by mechanical means which necessitates the removing of the plates or doors on the condenserhead so as to provide 2 access to the condenser tubes, which puts the condenser entirely out of use during the cleaning thereof.

In the present invention, it is desired to effect the cleaning of the condensing tubes without putting the condenser out of use and without disassembling the complete structure in any way. This is accomplished by the'provision of a series of baflie plates in the condenser head which will cooperate to form a plurality of parallel zigzag passages through the condenser, each separately controlled by valves so that the flow of the condensing water can be increased in one or more passages above the normal flow, for

40 washing the sediment or other dirt from the surface of the condensing tubes. By thus controlling the passages through. the condenser and cutting out the flow in a number of these passages, the rate of flow in the remainder is increased without increasing the speed of the condensing water pump. However, the speed of the pump can be changed as desired to meet existing conditions.

While one or more of the passages are cut off from the circulation of the condensin water, the pressure on the partition walls is 'not necessarily increased because the outlet from each of the passages communicates,

so that aback pressure'in the passages which are cut off may be had for sustaining an equal pressure through the entire condenser, otherwise special provision would have to be made in constructing the condenser for taking care of the difference in pressures between a passage being cleaned and one which is cut off.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of pressure relief valves in the partitions at the inlet end of the passages for relieving an excessive pressure in the passages being cleaned, the relief valves. opening into passages which have been cut off through which the condensing water passing throughthe relief valves may pass to the outlet.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the subject matter of my'invention and in this drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal through the condenser;

Fig. 2 shows a section throughthe front water chamber Fig. 3 shows a section through the rear water chamber; i

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a modified form of the invention.

The condenser a has condensing tubes 7) discharging in the end chambers c and 0?. Besides the horizontal well known walls 6 and f I provide vertical walls, the vertical walls 9 and h of the front end extending across the entire end, whilst the vertical section walls 5 and kof the rear end divide only the lower water chamber, so that the different water currents may be united in the last upper chamber Z where it will be discharged through the pipe m. The water sucked by the condensing water pump a is divided on the forcing side for instance into three separate currents through the connections 0, p, g, adapted to be cut off by means of slide-valves r, s, t.

To effect the cleansing of a condenser as above described, the valves 1" and s, for

example,.are operated to prevent the normal flow through the respective circuits, which they control, thereby causing an increased velocity of the water circulating throughthe valve t, connection g, and through the section of tubes controlled by the valve 2?. This section is determined by the bafiie plates h, in the front head of the condenser and is in the rear head, the horizontal partitions e and f causing the Water to take a zigzag path in the condenser before entering the chamber Z and the exhaust pipem. Thus, the increased velocity of the water in this section will have the effect of impinging on the mud or other sediment in the tubes and wash it off and out of the condenser, and at the same time provide for the usual condensing action. pressure throughout the condenser is substantially the same due to the back pressure from chamber Z, so that special provision for taking care of excessive differences in pressure are unnecessary.

To provide against excessive pressure in the condenser at the front end Where the condensing water enters, the pressure relief valves u and a are inserted in partitions 9 and h, and permit a flow to the adjacent compartments when the pressure is excessive.

The different valves are opened and closed successively in any manner such as above described to effectthe cleaning of all the tubes.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, a slightly different form of the invention is shown, in which there are two vertical and two horizontal partition walls in each header, which have valves inserted therein indicated by the openings shown in the drawing, so that when the valves 4) and w are closed, a single circuitous path is formed through the condenser so that an excessive pressure may be applied to the circulating Water by the pump for cleansing all the tubes in one operation.

It will be noted that thehat I claim is:

l. A condenser having a front and rear header, connected by horizontal water tubes, the headers having a plurality of partitions dividing them into sections, a valve controlling an inlet to each section in the front header from a circulating pump, one of the sections in the rear header communicating with all the other sections, and an outlet pipe from the said section, whereby, the valves of a number of sections may be closed so that an increased pressure in the remaining sections causes an increased rate of flow through the sections for a cleansing action, and the pressure. within the whole condenser is equalized through the comn'iunicating section in the rear header.

2. A condenser having afront and rear header, connected by horizontal Water tubes, the headers having a plurality of partitions dividing the condenser into sections, a valve controlling an inlet to each section in the front header from a circulating pump, pressure relief valves inserted in the partitions in the front header, one of the sections in the rear header communicat ing with all the other sections, and an outlet pipe from the said section, whereby the valves of a number of sections may be closed so that an increased pressure in the remaining sections causes an increased rate of flow through the sections for a cleansing action. the relief valves permit a' flow to the sections in which the valves are closed when a predetermined pressure is exceeded in the open sections, and the communicating section forms a common outlet for all the sections. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHRISTIAN HnLsME-YER 

